Desert Wings
by Flamelisthebest
Summary: Maximum Ride may be Itex's latest achievement, but they've been experimenting for thousands of years before that. So when the Pharaoh's daughter disapears, it's no surpise that Itex is behind it. The problem occurs when she wakes up 3,500 years later.
1. The Technological Gap

Note: I don't own Maximum Ride, related charachters, James Patterson (and by extention Maximum Ride), or Neferure (Neferure owns Neferure)

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**Desert Wings**

**Prologue: The Technological Gap**

Have you ever thought about where our where our technological ideas and advancement came from? Have you ever wondered, for more than a moment, how this world you came to live in became so comfortable and well…_user friendly_? I really didn't think so.

The short answer is fire. When we figured out fire, we learned to cook meat, and make tools. With tools came the wheel, which allowed us to travel further, until eventually, we found metal. With metal and fire, we made better tools, and then a better wheel and…well, by now you get the picture. You need knowledge to get knowledge, and advancement to get more advancement.

But think about this for a moment. If our race has been here for several million years, why'd it take so long for us to figure out fire? Why has almost all of our innovation occurred in the last couple hundred thousand years? Well, it's kind of complicated…

Basically, it's was a gene defect. Or rather, a lack of one. When our species came into being, we were still closer to monkeys than humans. We had the ability to adapt, but one genetic trait that had served primates well, now turned against us. It limited our ability to _invent _and _innovate_. We couldn't advance.

Eventually, we figured out fire. That was the key. With the ability to be omnivorous, we could spare some of our plant eating efficiency. We began to change, and one of those changes affected that faulty gene. Now we could advance.

But another group of people figured out fire thousands of years before us, and guarded the secret jealously. They developed that new gene early, and technologically, they gained a head start. By the time we figured out how to get warm, these others were already living villages filled with mud-brick houses, and they had tamed animals like dogs and pigs.

The decentents of these people still live in our times. They still have technology thousands of years more andvanced then ours.

In fact, they founded the company that would give birth to one of our greatest heros. Not Clint Eastwood, or Chuck Norris, but someone you are all familiar with (given what section on fanfiction you're reading in). The company was Itex, and the hero(ine) was Maximum Ride.

To Itex, Max wasn't as big of a success as the Director made her out to be. They'd been doing this for thousands of years. They'd even mastered the art of stasis by 18th Dynasty Egypt.

Which happens to be where our story begins.


	2. The Desert Wings Herself

**I would like to mention for all those who know Ancient Egypt that this is meant to be as accurate as it can be while meeting two criteria.**

**1. I have to be able to find it on Wikipedia.**

**2. I have to be able to use it in my story. I know Neferure died at 16, but for the story, she had to "disappear" at 13.**

**So, no, it's not very accurate****.**

**This is a disclaimer to all...now READ!**

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The "Desert Wings" Herself

My life was a mess.

I don't know how to put it better. Just before my life was turned upside-down, it had already been ready to topple. My mother, Hatshepsut, was dead. My throne had been stolen...even with my loyal servants at my side I couldn't have felt worse.

When she died, it left a hole in my heart, and my life. With her out of the picture, my half brother and unwanted husband Thutmose III was left to rule as Pharaoh instead of me, the rightful heir. My mother and her advisor Senemut had raised me for this my whole life and it had been taken away. Now I was left as barely more than a co-ruler. A face, recognized only by my _husband_ (eew), with almost no power.

Any archaeology buffs out there have probably figured out who I am. For those who know nothing of Egyptian history, I am Neferure (say it, _right now_ Ne-fer-OOH-ray), literally "The Beauty of Re". I was to be the Pharaoh. That Thutmose wasn't even the Pharaoh's son (well, technically not, he was obviously of royal blood). But people thought he was, and that was all that mattered.

Sorry about that long rant, it's a sore subject and it really pisses me off.

I bet you're wondering why I'm writing in the slang of your time when I was born thousands of years ago. I'll get to that, but not quite yet.

Just as a little info, I like to walk on the Nile's banks under the moonlight. I bet there is no one who can tell you _that_ about me. The last time I ever did that is actually quite a story.

It was a crescent moon, my favorite time. I just loved that shape; it mesmerized me. Sometimes I found myself staring at it, losing myself and my surroundings.

Of course, my servant girl, Sheriti, would have none of that tonight. She bustled around me, attempting to get between my guards and talk with me. I chuckled to myself; this was the very reason she was my friend.

Sheriti had been sold into my service when she was ten, around my age. In public, she was the quiet one; she never put up a fight when she was told to do something. But when she was alone with me, she was, well…talkative. Unlike any woman I knew, including myself, she was not afraid to voice her opinion. And honestly, she never stopped. But that was what I liked about her. Even if my parents did something she didn't like, she would still tell me. If she were under the employment of any other person, she'd never survive more than ten seconds, let alone the three years she's been with me. It's a good thing she found me. In many ways she reminded me of a little puppy, always bouncing around; eager to explore and get outside…I truly don't know what she does with all that energy, or where she gets it. She has been my one friend, and I could always tell her anything.

But all that would change that night.

You see, while Sheriti and I talked, we had turned our attention away from the bank and away from two suspicious characters following slowly behind us. I had noticed them, but I had also noticed that they were too scrawny to take on my burly guards. No, I knew they would eventually realize the futility of…whatever they were doing and leave.

Then they stepped in front of me and each pulled out a strange device from their robes.

The first one had an object shaped much like your index and thumb spread as far apart as you could get them. The longer end was made of a tube and the short end was sort of a handle. In between were several mechanisims including a tiny lever, encircled by a metal band, a small cylinder with notches at the back end, and another lever on top, with a projection of metal sticking out beneath it. The man pointed the tube at Sheriti, cocked back the lever on top with a rapid clicking noise, and pulled the lower lever.

I heard a bang that I can only equate to someone slamming a door next to your ear. There was a flash out the end of the tube, and suddenly, Sheriti felt the need to clasp her chest. She fell over and I dropped to help her.

I'd never seen a wound like this. It was circular, with a small diameter filled with raw, bleeding flesh.

Sheriti looked at me and said, "Neferure, I'm so sorry. I have failed you."

I looked right into her eyes and saw she was dying. "No, you haven't. You brought me the one thing no one else could give me. Friendship. And I thank you for that."

She just smiled, and nodded. At the end of her small, weak, nod, her head fell limp, and she died.

I wanted to cry, but the men who killed her were not done yet.

My bodyguards moved to attack this man with his strange weapon. But the second man would have none of that. He moved to attack with his own weapon, similar to that of the first, but different in other ways.

This second weapon was longer, with two tubes instead of one. The longer part was even longer than that of the first weapon, probably two feet long at my best guess. Each tube had its own lever on top, both of them were cocked. The shorter end was still lengthened, but not as much as the front end. It was bent parallel to the ground, and as it continued, it widened, until the man could easily brace it against his shoulder. The fat cylinder was not present in this weapon, but I knew it was just as deadly.

Once again the man aimed and pulled the lever, propelling the weapon into his shoulder. The effects it had on one of my guards were much more deadly.

The guard was knocked backwards a foot or so, and then he fell. His wound was similar to that of Sheriti's, but it was larger, almost half a foot in diameter, and it didn't bleed as much. I realized that the weapon had killed him so quick he didn't have enough time to bleed before his heart stopped.

The man pulled the lever again and my other guard fell fast. The man with the smaller weapon swung it at me like a club. It hit my forehead and I was knocked unconscious.

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**If you haven't figured out the weapons used by now, they were a six-shooter and a primitave shotgun.**

**And just so you know, according to my sorces, Sheriti is a real ancient Egyptian name. It means "Young maid/maiden". It was the closest I could find to "talkative", "energetic", or "Nudge-like" I know, not very close, but Sheriti was nearly named "beautiful goddess" (just isn't Nudge-ey you know) or "midwife" (nothing to do with Nudge) in Egyptian, so this is better.**


	3. Itex: Proud Sadists since 10,000 BC

**Itex: Proud Sadists Since 10,000 B.C.**

I woke up a little while later in a stupor. As I came out of my haze, I examined my surroundings, which took all of two seconds.

I was inside of a cylinder made completely of rock, about fifteen feet in diameter and twelve feet high, with no gaps I could squeeze through. The only reason I knew was the white, eerie artificial light that came from long tubes of glass, curled in winding spirals like Sheriti's hair. In the center, taking up most of the usable space was a circular depression, about five feet deep, with sharp angles where it met the floor. There was no doubt that this was man-made.

At the top of my circular prison were several spouts, too high for me to reach and too small to fit through. About mid-way up, there was a strange device that seemed almost to be staring at me. It was made of a black metal and shaped like a box. There was a tube about one inch in diameter that stuck out of the front about half an inch. Inside was a curved piece of glass that sparkled like a gem. As I moved around, the object turned to follow me, making sure the glass was pointed at me. _Huh, that's strange,_ I thought. _I wonder if it really _is_ watching me…_

But I had no time to wonder. Just then, I heard a loud beep, that's difficult to describe. It seemed mechanical, but I knew of no machine that could make a sound like it.

As the sound rang through my prison, I saw red flashing lights. The spouts began to gush water into the depression.

_Oh, good,_ I thought. _I'm thirsty._ Well it is kind of a side affect of living in the desert, don't seem so surprised.

I reached out to touch the stream of clear fluid, but pulled back quickly. The tips of my fingers were turning an unimaginable shade of bluish-purple. I felt a cold that was completely unimaginable to me (again, HELLO! I lived in the hottest desert in the world at the time. I'd only _heard_ of frozen water). I moved back until my back hit the unforgiving stone, avoiding the cold at all costs.

As soon as the depression was full, the fluid began to lap near my feet. A slight splash threw some of the liquid on the top of my left foot. I began to shake it off as fast as possible. But the water-level kept rising. Once it got high enough to pool around my feet they went numb, and suddenly I couldn't stand. Unable to hold myself upright, I fell face first into the depression. I felt cold for a moment, so cold, and then I fell unconscious.

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**The object was a video camera okay? The fluid was liquid nitrogen. The curly glasses were florescent light bulbs. The sound was a siren, like something that'd go off before nuclear testing...NO THIS IS NOT NUCLEAR TESTING!**

**As an explination, Neferure has no idea what technology is, so she can't describe it.**


	4. Enter Maximum

**Enter Maximum  
**

Max's POV

"Now, hang on for a second," Iggy said. "We left a school, a house, and hot water, because _you_ heard a voice in your head."

"Yup, that's the gist of it." I said.

"You're insane."

I smacked Iggy on the head. "Why thank you!" (note sarcasm)

"I'm not sure we should be going." Fang said.

"Why?" I questioned. "Who ever got hurt listening to the Voice?"

"You." Fang said

Oh yeah, that little fiasco in New York, where I killed my Eraser-brother. Then he came back to life and then he died again. You know, it sounds a lot crazier when you put it that way. Oh well, maybe I _am_ crazy.

Anyway, we were flying along for about an hour, just enjoying our victory when the Voice called.

_Turn around. Go back to Washington. _It told me.

_What! Why!_ "Make up your mind!" the last part I said aloud. Everyone stared at me, except Angel, who had read my mind and knew what was going on.

"Uh, sorry. It's the Voice." I said. _Why should I turn around huh? You already told me to go this way._

_Well, pack you're bags, get on the plane, and get going: you're heading to Egypt!_

I did my best to convey a lack of enthusiasm towards the Voice. Angel, however, did the opposite.

"Max, can we please go to Egypt?"

_Can't you,_ the Voice said, in its first display of sarcasm. _Please?_

"Wait a minute, Egypt?" Iggy said. "When I said we should go someplace warm, I didn't mean the Sahara desert. I was kind of hoping Hawaii. You know, sun, sand, beaches, girls."

Just for that comment, I was going to make sure we went the _other_ way.

_Okay, you win._ I told the Voice. _We'll go to Egypt._ The Voice left, and I heard a strange giggling in the back of my mind…

_Angel! Get out of my mind!_

_Jeez, sorry._

I could still hear her giggling, but I let it go.

"Alright guys, time to turn around." I yelled to the rest of the flock.

I was treated to cries of "Aw come on!" and "Do we have to?"

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After another hour-long flight, we finally made it to the airport. We stepped onto the plane and suddenly, I felt claustrophobic. We had a row in first class entirely dedicated to us, though I have no idea why they expected bird kids to take a plane.

I sat down on the right side of the plane, in the isle seat. Angel was next to me, in the window seat. Fang was to my left in the other isle seat.

Angel looked to me. "Are you sure we're safe in here?"

"Positive." I answered her. But suddenly an evil thought snaked into my mind. _What happens if the plane just explodes?_

Angel looked horrified. "Stop thinking like that!"

"I'm sorry." I told her.

She settled in, but she still seemed nervous. I put my hand on her shoulder, to try and calm her. "Hey, it's gonna be okay."

At this she calmed, but only slightly.

As the engine started up, I noticed a high whine beyond the human hearing range. The plane blasted forward on the runway. I felt the speed pick up, faster and faster. The angle of the nose increased more and more until finally, we lifted off.

On to Egypt!


	5. Genetic Transfusion

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Genetic Transfusion

Neferure's POV

Almost an instant after falling into the cold liquid, I woke up. But things had changed too much for me to have been out less than a minute.

I was floating in a cold blue liquid. It wasn't as cold as before though. I tried to move, but this strange fluid suddenly turned into a gel and stopped my movement. There were tubes and wires and pads attached to my body. The ends of which went into that circular cavity in the center of the prison.

The cavity itself had been filled by a strange object. It was made of a black metal. It had lights and tubes and wires all over it; most of which had been attached to me.

I held my breath, fearful that I might drown. When I couldn't hold it any longer, I took a breath. And then another, and another. I noticed there was a mask over my mouth and nose. It was attached to that object in the center. I guessed that the tube fed me breathable air, so I could survive.

I heard that loud beeping noise again, and I felt _things_ coming through those tubes. I could _feel_ the chemicals shooting through my veins. It was strange, but nothing was happening.

But then came the jolts. Somehow, the wires were able to send jolts into my body. Each one hurt like I cannot describe. And the chemicals in my veins began to react with the jolts. My heart felt like it was on fire, and my veins carried the fire to other parts of my body. My lungs burned so badly that I could swear that they were stretching downwards. I could feel my entire body stretch upwards faster than ever intended. Have you ever had growing pains? Imagine having several years' worth of those over the course of thirty seconds. It hurts. And not only was I growing over half a foot, but there was something going on with my back. Despite the cool fluid, I could feel the liquid fire burst out of my shoulders and drip down my back.

Eventually, the jolts and chemicals stopped. I felt my body cool down, and I fell into a lax position in the gel.

Apparently they weren't done yet though. A tube attached to my head began pouring new chemicals into my brain. More jolts followed. After a couple of minutes they subsided.

When all the torture was done, I examined myself to see what had changed. My mind seemed to be wrapping itself around new ideas, and it was also groping for control of something else…

I checked my mind first. Suddenly, I had the ability to think in a new language. It seemed as if I'd known it my entire life but I was certain I could never understand the words before. In my mind I searched for a name for these new thoughts, and a word popped up. _English._

But now I had another problem. My brain had finally gotten control of…whatever wasn't in control. I began to test out these new abilities.

Slowly I began to extend muscles that felt like they hadn't been used in a while, but I knew were never there before. As I did, I felt something take shape behind me. I turned around and gasped…well, as well as I could with a tube attached to my mouth.

Stretching a little over six feet from my back to the left and right were _wings._ And not just any wings, but sacred wings: _my wings._ They were sacred for reasons other than that. Horus, Ra, and Amun-ra all used the bird that these wings belonged to as their sacred animal: the peregrine falcon. On the tops, they were perfectly grey. The undersides were white with closely-packed streaks of black. They had pointed tips and seemed a little short, but these were traits of the peregrine: they gave the birds speed, agility, and an impressive ability to dive-bomb.

Meanwhile, the siren went off again. The front of the cylinder I'd once thought impenetrable now moved on its own, splitting down the middle. As it opened, the gel I was floating in gushed out, taking me with it. All of the tubes and wires were roughly disconnected as I rushed with the torrent of goo. In an instant, I stood on my hands and knees, coughing up the goop. A man in a white coat had gotten on one knee, bringing him closer to my level, to ask if I was okay. He seemed worn, tired. He had a little stubble on his chin, as if he hadn't had the chance to clean himself up for a while.

I let myself drop, leaving me lying down on the ground face down. I turned my head to him and stared for a moment. "What are you talking about! Of course I'm not okay!"

He looked confused. I tried to talk to him again but there was still no reaction. _Well maybe he'll understand my newfound language._ I thought to myself.

So I spoke to him again, this time in English. "What's wrong with you, do I look okay!"

He seemed startled for a moment, but then he gave a little chuckle. _How dare he!_ I thought. _I'm lying here in pain and he's laughing!_

"Will you stop mocking me and give me some help?"

"I'm sorry," the man said. "Would you like some water?"

"That would be much appreciated." I said, picking myself up. As I started, the man grabbed my arm to help. I gave him a kind glance, but said nothing.

As the man left to get the water, I set myself to the task of reorientating myself with the world. With my newfound height, the ground seemed much farther away and my arms, legs, and stride were much longer. I was working on hand-eye coordination by picking things up when the man walked back in with a jug of water and a cup. I thanked him and tried to pick up the cup. It ended up splashing all over his desk. The man seemed upset for a moment, but he decided to let it go. What can I say; I hadn't quite gotten hand-eye coordination yet. That's what happens when you're arms get longer. I picked up the cup and held it out for the man to fill. Once he had, I took a sip and dropped into the nearest chair. For a moment, everything was quiet. Then, unable to bear the silence, the man began to talk to me.

"So, what's your name?"

"That's a very personal question! I would never ask you anything like that." Um, that's kind of a _thing_ in Egypt you know? Everyone has a birth name, and it's really powerful. If you wrote it on a pot and smashed it, you would kill whoever's name is on the pot. It's not something you go around telling people.

"Well, my name's Jeb." He said, ignoring my outburst.

Oh, now I understood. He was telling me what to call him. Well I can handle that. "I'm Neferure, nice to meet you." Neferure isn't my _actual_ birth name. It's just what the people know me by.

"Well, now that we've met, I've got to ask you to wait here for a little while. I've got someone coming to pick you up." Jeb said.

So I reached over to a book that Jeb may have been reading before, with a cup and a jug of water. _Well, I might as well settle in._

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So, how do you like this chapter? Please tell me, I like it when people review.


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